1
as in fires
to cause (a projectile) to be driven forward with force
BB guns shoot small round metal pellets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
3
as in pops
to strike with a missile from a gun
hunters can shoot deer only during the legally specified open season
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in rushes
to proceed or move quickly
some show-off shot past all the other skiers on the slope
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in photographs
to take a photograph of
shooting the lakeside scene while the light lasted
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in casts
to throw or give off
suddenly the old, broken-down toaster began shooting out sparks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in shouts
to voice one's opinions freely with force
you've been wanting to say something since this meeting started, so shoot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in sprinkles
to mark with small spots especially unevenly
hazel eyes that were brown shot with green
Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in sends
to cause to go or be taken from one place to another
shot a congratulatory e-mail to his friend as soon as he heard the good news
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in limbs
a branch of a main stem especially of a plant
collected the most tender shoots for the vegetable dish he was making
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in pains
a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body
there'd be a shoot of pain from that molar whenever I bit down
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shoots
Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
The 15-year-old Wie shoots a 69 to finish second.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
The Knicks' Jalen Brunson, left, shoots the ball against the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama during the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 3, 2026 in San Antonio.
—Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Ultimately, Ali shoots and kills Alamo after his right-hand man, Bishop (Darrell Britt-Gibson), turns on him and secretly removes the bullets from Alamo’s gun.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026
As promised, Ali shoots him, and as everyone panics and hits the floor, Ali shouts that Alamo Brown needs to come out.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 1 June 2026
Continue reading … RUFF SHOT — Dog accidentally shoots woman during bizarre gas station incident in Nebraska.
—FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
Rainwater is nearly killed after being cornered in a bedroom, but he’s saved by Tate, who shoots the assassin dead.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
In film, Mainstay’s development projects include an adaptation of Trevor Noah’s bestselling memoir Born a Crime and the genre-bending Lionsgate vampire western The Sun Always Sets in the West, which shoots this year.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 May 2026
Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2026
Since 2009, Hong has been working on tiny budgets, with crews of two or three, fulfilling all the main creative and technical roles on his shoots aside from sound recording.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
Dell said The Ludlow Room can now be open for private parties and film shoots.
—Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
Charles Haracz, the executive chef at Blue Plate, said the company buys between 30 and 60 pounds of produce every week, including microgreens, lettuces and pea shoots.
—Jerry Wu, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026
Silvera, a stunt veteran of the original Netflix Daredevil series, was promoted to action director on Born Again season two, overseeing the design and shoots if its signature fight sequences.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026
On Summer Crush hydrangeas, the blooms are at the ends of the branches, both on new shoots that develop from the base of the plant in spring and on side shoots that come from older stems that have overwintered.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 June 2026
Aim to cut the stems about ¼-inch above a node (the point where the plant’s leaves and side shoots emerge).
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 June 2026
No two film or TV shoots are alike, as each director and team of department heads have to find their own unique rhythm that falls somewhere on a spectrum between meticulous storyboarding and completely improvising on set.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 6 June 2026
Verb
Without hesitation, Miguel shoots Chet in the head, killing him instantly.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
The 15-year-old Wie shoots a 69 to finish second.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
The Knicks' Jalen Brunson, left, shoots the ball against the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama during the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 3, 2026 in San Antonio.
—Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Ultimately, Ali shoots and kills Alamo after his right-hand man, Bishop (Darrell Britt-Gibson), turns on him and secretly removes the bullets from Alamo’s gun.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026
As promised, Ali shoots him, and as everyone panics and hits the floor, Ali shouts that Alamo Brown needs to come out.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 1 June 2026
Continue reading … RUFF SHOT — Dog accidentally shoots woman during bizarre gas station incident in Nebraska.
—FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
Rainwater is nearly killed after being cornered in a bedroom, but he’s saved by Tate, who shoots the assassin dead.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
In film, Mainstay’s development projects include an adaptation of Trevor Noah’s bestselling memoir Born a Crime and the genre-bending Lionsgate vampire western The Sun Always Sets in the West, which shoots this year.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 May 2026
Noun
Make 4- to 6-inch-long cuttings by sipping off the ends of the shoots and removing a few bottom leaves.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2026
Since 2009, Hong has been working on tiny budgets, with crews of two or three, fulfilling all the main creative and technical roles on his shoots aside from sound recording.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
Dell said The Ludlow Room can now be open for private parties and film shoots.
—Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
Charles Haracz, the executive chef at Blue Plate, said the company buys between 30 and 60 pounds of produce every week, including microgreens, lettuces and pea shoots.
—Jerry Wu, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026
Silvera, a stunt veteran of the original Netflix Daredevil series, was promoted to action director on Born Again season two, overseeing the design and shoots if its signature fight sequences.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026
On Summer Crush hydrangeas, the blooms are at the ends of the branches, both on new shoots that develop from the base of the plant in spring and on side shoots that come from older stems that have overwintered.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 June 2026
Aim to cut the stems about ¼-inch above a node (the point where the plant’s leaves and side shoots emerge).
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 June 2026
No two film or TV shoots are alike, as each director and team of department heads have to find their own unique rhythm that falls somewhere on a spectrum between meticulous storyboarding and completely improvising on set.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 6 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoots
Verb
-
Tshabalala’s thunderous strike sends the ball rocketing into the top right corner of Óscar Pérez’s net and fires the tournament hosts ahead, as the blaring drone of vuvuzelas is – somehow – drowned out by a roar heard across the country.—
Jack Bantock,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
The acceleration fires the propellant into space as a spray (hence the name).—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Droves of shoppers are going after cooling household essentials like this Dreo tower fan that offers eight speeds of breezy relief, while another lot of customers just bought this Black+Decker portable air conditioner that blasts super cool air.—
Clara McMahon,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
-
The campaign blasts Brown for taking funds from others who associated with Epstein, including former Harvard professor Larry Summers in 2025.—
Liz Goodwin The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
The pit itself pops out easily with a finger poke and a gentle pull.—
Sheri Castle,
Southern Living,
9 June 2026
-
Occasionally, a bubble forms, then pops.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Traffic rushes by on the surrounding streets, but within the 16-acre neighborhood of Culdesac, cars are conspicuously absent.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
-
The stunt took place just yards from the waterfalls, where fast-moving water rushes toward steep drops.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
At the end of the breakfast service, a staff member photographs the leftovers.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2026
-
In Ilulissat, Greenland, Mustafah Abdulaziz photographs the port, cluttered with trawlers, the docks, covered with boxes of fish – overfished halibut – which will be transported to the other side of the world.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nested in Tangles After singing with the range of a one-woman choir on her last album, Hannah Frances casts an even dizzier illusion on Nested in Tangles.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
3 Dec. 2025
-
This sequel to a 2022 indie darling casts you as a Sleeper, a robot worker fleeing their gang-boss captor.—
Lewis Gordon,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The officer spots the suspect and shouts at him to get his hands out of his pockets.—
Meg Oliver,
CBS News,
20 Nov. 2025
-
Greta Lee and Timothée Chalamet are both partial to the New York City Ballet hat, while Kaia Gerber cheekily shouts out Cole Escola.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The shareable treat features Galactic Brownie ice cream, fudge drizzle, M&Ms candies, and Halloween sprinkles atop a double fudge brownie crust.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The show also sprinkles in factoids about Daniel’s military past, his upbringing in Italy and his fractured family dynamic.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoots. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
